Short summary:
Just a night in Lawndale, and some people aren抰 asleep yet?o:p>
Daria (and associated
characters and locations) is copyright ?1997-2000 MTV Networks.
This story is copyright ?2002 by Bacner (olgak531@rogers.com) and has been written for personal enjoyment. No infringement of the above rights is intended.
Night, like an apple-tree, into my window knocks,
And way outside a night-bird cries.
I know, I know, I know one only thing:
What in day-time flourishes, in night-time dies.
- Mystik Spiral抯 Song 揥hat Was Then?(unpublished)
?span style='font-family:Computer'>Jane Lane was in pain, Jane Lane couldn抰 complain, Jane Lane had to explain that it was her time of the - drat!?/p>
Jane Lane pushed away the keyboard of her word processor in disgust. 揟his story is my worst one yet! It抯 worse then one of Summer抯 child-catching stories!?
Jane was angry and couldn't even explain the reason why. It all started a couple of days ago at the Zon. She and Daria were in audience of a band called 揂rt an?Miss? somewhat like the Harpies, but beefed-up. The band抯 singer was a girl named Beth, dressed in sleeveless with a lot of tattoos, and with a buzz cut similar to Daria抯 gym teacher back in Highland. For some reason, though, Jane was impressed with them. 揧ou got to admit,?she told Daria later, 搕hose gals did handle Upchuck the horny toad pretty well. Got to give them kudos for it.?/p>
揋als??Daria incredibly replied. 揓ane, since when do you sound so camp??/p>
揈xcuse me??Jane repeated incredulously. 揅amp? Me??/p>
揧eah,?Daria shrugged. 揊or some reason, your vocabulary, it?didn抰 benefit from your camping experience, I believe.?/p>
揟his is about that summer camp ?hey, now you got me saying this! For the last time, Daria, it was an art colony, and would you leave me alone with it??/p>
Daria shrugged. 揑抦 just curious to hear the tale of the girl who got fresh with you,?she shrugged.
揜ight,?Jane snorted. 揑 bet Tom is somewhere in the wings, waiting eagerly for my tale.?/p>
揓ane, this is sick. We really do need to get a life ?and not use Tom to accomplish that goal,?Daria sighed.
揥hat good is he, then??Jane snorted, amusingly.
Daria shook her head. 揂t any rate, we抮e getting distracted. Jane, so what did happen at the art colony??/p>
揑 met a bunch of interesting people.?/p>
揂nd one of them got fresh with you.?/p>
揟hat was sarcasm.?/p>
揧ou said it wasn't.?/p>
揑 was letting you on??/p>
揧ou didn't look very convincing.?/p>
揂nd how would you know that??/p>
揑抦 a master at reading human feelings, emotions, facial expressions, and vocal timbres,?Daria said matter-of-factly.
Jane stared. 揝ay what? Please don't tell me ?you抮e a test tube baby and can blast laser beams with your eyes ?that抯 why you need your glasses.?/p>
揑 wore lenses.?/p>
揙nce. And looked extremely uncomfortable while doing this.?/p>
揑 then went completely cold turkey ?no lenses or glasses or anything.?/p>
揂nd looked extremely scared while doing that.?/p>
揝o? If you were to go cold turkey from painting and sculpting, you抎 look extremely scared too.?/p>
Jane抯 eyes narrowed. 揕et抯 make it a bet. I can go cold turkey from painting and sculpting barring Ms. DeFoe抯 class for ?a week. And if I don抰 do so, I'll tell you the truth. But if I do, well, then, you抣l wear lenses for a week. Deal??/p>
Daria paused. 揧ou know, maybe we can have a simultaneous run. See if we can do that thing at the same time.?/p>
Jane looked thoughtful. 揟hink Lawndale High will be able to handle both of us acting weird??/p>
揕et抯 wait and see if it抣l tilt or whirl,?Daria said.
And so, the bet was made. And now, to Jane抯 greater irritation, she discovered that she was struggling already to keep to her end of the bet. 揇amn it,?she muttered. 揥hen Daria is writing something in her room, it all seems so easy! Damn it! Am I no better than Trent??she yelled drastically and froze. 揝peaking of the devil, just where is he??/p>
* * *
Trent Lane sat near the Zon, smoking like some Billy Idol wannabe. He knew that, and he didn't care. He was just too unsettled. In less than a year, Janey would be gone, and he, well, will remain here. In Lawndale.
Or won't he? The gang ?excluding Nick, but he was easily goaded-in by Max ?were all for leaving Lawndale whenever that subject got raised, so all matters were settled ?in theory. In reality?In reality, when they tried one of their bi-annual road trips, they got into yet another one of their bi-annual messes. It was always like that. If not police tickets, then getting lost. If not getting lost, then forgetting or breaking or mixing-up of the music equipment. If not-
揌ey, Trent,?Monique sat down next to him. 揥hat抯 up? Jesse told Eff飊d飁 who told me that you looked depressed lately, and I came to see for myself.?/p>
揓aney抯 leaving,?Trent drawled-out. 揃oth she and her friend Daria are leaving.?He paused and added: 揻or Boston.?/p>
揂nd here I was, thinking that we were a pair,?Monique said crossly.
Trent looked at Monique, looking a bit cross himself. 揥e are, aren't we??he spoke. 揊or this week.?/p>
Monique glared. 揟rent, why are you so upset that your sister and her friend are leaving for college? I mean, it does make the house all to your and Mystik Spiral, no? I mean, no bothers or interruptions-?/p>
揑 don't know if that is such a good idea, Mon,?Trent shook his head. 揟his house ?it is major materialism. It may keep us on the ground.?/p>
揇oes the rest of the band see it in such a fashion??Monique spoke with a rather shrewd look in her eyes.
揑 don't know,?Trent shrugged semi-thoughtfully. 揃ut that major materialism bit ?it was Max抯.?/p>
揂nd others??/p>
揓esse like the governmental senate ?keeps minding his own business, mostly, and Nick ?well, Nick is always opposing Max ?do the math yourself.?/p>
揝o it all comes down to you, then??Monique said, snuggling closer to him.
揥ell, yeah. Hey ?did we make-up already??/p>
揅an we not talk about that??Monique said crossly in her turn.
揙h? What抯 wrong??/p>
揅alais. Remember, I told you that Jesse spoke to Eff飊d飁??/p>
揧eah??/p>
揥ell, Calais dropped-in, and they got into an argument, and I kind-off got dragged-in.?/p>
揙h yeah. Calais is your friend??/p>
揥ell, the same way Eff飊d飁 is my sister抯, but you know her-?/p>
揧eah, I do,?Trent nodded. Calais was pretty much the quintessential Harpy of the band ?ragged and free like the wind, and also quite cold like the wind. He always wondered how she was-
揟rent,?Monique purred dangerously. 揅an you please listen to me??/p>
揝orry, got lost in my head.?/p>
揂nd here I was worrying that you were off to Morpheus?clutches.?/p>
揑 never sleep on the street,?Trent shook his head. 揟hat抯 why we抳e got Max抯 van, remember??/p>
揧eah.?/p>
揝o.. what was the argument抯 about??/p>
揂 certain clock ?it抯 a female thing.?/p>
揙h. Right,?Trent spoke slowly. 揝o is there anyway I can help??/p>
揑 don抰 know,?Monique said with such a misery that Trent was surprised. 揑抦 so confused Trent, and worried. I mean ?why did we start to go out and all??/p>
揑 was approved by your sister??/p>
揟hanks for reminding me,?Monique replied in a fashion that Trent was reminded of Daria. 揓ust what I wanted to hear.?/p>
揧ou know, you just sound like Janey抯 friend ?Daria,?he said.
Monique gave him a baleful look. 揥hat with you and her??she asked. 揧ou like her or something??/p>
揥ell, maybe?Look, she抯 leaving and I抦 staying.?/p>
揧eah. With me.?Monique spoke-up. 揂in't I special.?/p>
Trent gave Monique another look. She was acting like Daria again, and as Janey told him, Daria behaved that way- 揙h. You sort-of feel like me, too, hah??/p>
揧eah. I mean, I抦 not a yo-yo or a billiard ball, you know? I mean, you at least got a family-?/p>
揚(yáng)lease,?Trent spoke with some importance. 揑抦 thinking.?/p>
揙h??Monique looked with some surprise at Trent but said nothing more. This went-on for some time, and then Trent started speaking once again.
揧ou know,?he carefully said, 揑 could try and get a part-time job, if you want to move with me or something.?/p>
Monique eyed Trent carefully. 揥here did that come from??/p>
揑sn't it a solution to our problem??/p>
?i>Our problem??/p>
揥ell, problems, but they look similar and all. Right??/p>
揥ell, when you put this way,?Monique carefully said, 揑 suppose we can try and do that.?She paused. 揝o, what do we do now??/p>
揃uggered if I know,?Trent shrugged. 揑 don抰 want to go home just yet ?Janey抯 there and in a bad mood.?/p>
揥ell, let抯 go inside,?Monique then shrugged. 揑 think it抯 starting to rain.?/p>
They walked inside, arms intervened.
* * *
Charles Ruttheimer the III was nervous though he didn't show it; Upchuck, on the other hand, looked nervous as Hell.
揝-So Charles where are we going??his date spoke nervously from the seat next to him.
揑t抯 a surprise, my sweet,?he was impressed how confidently he managed to drawl that out. 揂 very great surprise.?/p>
揜eally, Ch-Charles? It won't be anything unpleasant or t-tacky??/p>
揟acky, my dear? When in our relationship was I to show tacky so far??/p>
揥-Well, you抳e got a point. You never were what was considered tacky.?/p>
揈xactly,?he nodded. 揝ome music, perhaps??he pressed a button on his machine抯 panel, and instantly a song by Queen began to play:
揟he show must go on
The show must go on, yeah
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on.?br>
Charles felt like would almost blush in embarrassment ?if he still could. So
much for a romantic mood. But to his surprise his date prevented him from doing
that. 揧ou ?you also like Queen??she asked.
揧ou ?you like it too??/p>
She nodded. 揧eah. Others at the FC think it抯?unfashionable, but I can relate to it. You??/p>
揚(yáng)retty much so, only I don't have fashion-conscious friends to think that it抯 unfashionable, or any other type of friend for that matter.?/p>
揢m, want me to be your friend??/p>
揢h, let抯 first see how the date works out??Charles said, feeling odd ?for himself. He stopped the vehicle. His date reached to unbuckle her belt. He briskly raced around the vehicle and opened the door. ?i>S抜l-vous-plait,?he spoke in a very good French (certainly a better one than what was taught in Lawndale High.)
揥hy, Charles, I didn't know that you could speak real French!?Stacy Rowe exclaimed.
Charles beamed. He was impressing her ?in a good way. That was obviously good. 揃ut of course I do! Now shall we go? Our dining awaits!?/p>
* * *
The rifle range of Lawndale was rarely closed after sunrise, and only on weekends ?like Sunday. That wasn抰 the case tonight, since it was Friday. And Basil, the owner of the range, was eagerly rubbing his hands for the arrival of his usually Friday-night抯 customers ?and they came ?right on time and, as Basil knew, they would leave right on time too.
揥elcome,?he spoke cheerfully in his casual Hungarian range. 揟he rifle range of Lawndale welcomes the Lawndale抯 Businesswoman Association. Your usual??/p>
揧es,?Linda Griffin growled, pressed by her girl-friends behind her. 揂nd no delays, I hope??/p>
揘one whatsoever,?Basil nodded emphatically, as she and the others followed inside. When faced with a steady income on one hand, and the combined wrath of many tired, stressed, burned-out businesswomen of Lawndale, it抯 easy to make the correct choice.
揂nd folks used to say that establishing a rifle range here was a bad idea,?Basil inwardly smirked.
* * *
揧ou know,?Tom muttered, feeling a cross between confusion and bemusion, 揑 thought that it was my parents who were supposed to be easy with my cash flow.?/p>
揟hat抯 because you抳e been dating the wrong sister,?Daria smirked. 換uinn can get a wad of cash or a banking card any time she wants ?well, almost. My immediate presence usually puts a damper on that thing. But,?she added, looking slightly worried, 搕onight was different.?/p>
揑'll say! You look-?/p>
揚(yáng)lease,?Daria groaned. 揑t抯 all a bet with that damn Jane.?/p>
揌ey! I thought you were upset when Jane-?/p>
揟his is me doing it, it抯 different,?Daria shrugged. 揓ust call me a canting hypocrite and be done with it.?/p>
揙h, how 慴out-?/p>
揇on't finish that sentence, Tom,?Daria said frankly. 揂fter all, this is for a week tops ?or sooner, if Jane cracks.?/p>
揥hat is she supposed to do? Wear your glasses??/p>
揘o, do anything else but art.?/p>
揧ou realize that that抯 a very loose term-?/p>
揗e and Jane understand it enough, thanks,?Daria said. 揝eriously though ?hey, isn抰 it Upchuck??/p>
揥ho??Tom turned around and whistled. 揥ell, I'll be a cabin boy on a pirate schooner, Charley did get himself a girlfriend??/p>
揅harley??/p>
揧eah. You know, the town抯 boy who抯 acting like a love-child between Roman Faunus and Marilyn Manson??
Daria rolled her eyes. 揂re you on a Greek fad? First you compare me to a Eumonide, now him?well, the description抯 pretty accurate, especially the first part. And speaking of the girlfriend ?I think it抯 one of Quinn抯 fashion-conscious friends, hmm厰
揋oing to tell her??/p>
揘o,?Daria shook her head. 揑 doubt that Upchuck will be foolish enough to try anything ?criminal.?/p>
揟rue. And he is a nice guy ?if you're not a girl, that is.?Tom paused. 揙r anything of the female gender. Or my mom.?/p>
揌ah??/p>
揗om spoke one to him when he tried his moves on Elsie ?and he never bothered neither Elsie nor mom ever since.?/p>
揥ow. I got to talk to her.?/p>
揗aybe ?ah, here抯 dinner!?Tom emphatically said. 揝hall we dine, Miss Morgendorffer??/p>
揂bsolutely, Mr. Sloane, dine we shall!?/p> And they rapidly took-up their meal.